Acer Goes Back and Into the Future with Intel Celeron “Haswell” Processor-Based PC for $199

Acer America has announced the availability of a new $199.99 entry-level model in its new Acer C720 Chromebook line for budget-minded customers. Acer C720-2848 personal computer - which would have belonged to netbooks in the past - runs on an Intel Celeron processor based on the Haswell micro-architecture to deliver fast performance and up to 8.5 hours of battery life. What the device does not deliver is Windows OS and compatibility with mainstream apps.

“Since the Acer C720 debuted last month, it’s been acclaimed for delivering industry-leading performance and long battery life to mobile savvy computer users. Our new $199.99 model delivers an incredible value proposition for this level of performance at a time of year when so many people are shopping for gifts for loved ones,” said Arif Maskatia, chief technology officer for Acer.

With the announcement of Acer C720-2848 with Google Chrome operating system Acer goes back to its netbook past and right into the future with the new OS. The new personal computer announced by Acer is nothing else, but a netbook, only cheaper and worse. A netbook would have cost a little more and feature Microsoft Corp.’s Windows operating system, providing access to a wide library of applications. Furthermore, a netbook would have sported a hard disk drive with plenty of storage space, giving its owners opportunity to collect mass of data, applications and content.

The C720-2848 comes with Intel Celeron processor based on Haswell design with integrated graphics, 16GB solid-state storage and 2GB of DDR3 memory. The Acer C720-2848 Chromebook is 0.75” thick, slim enough to fit into a book bag, purse or backpack. It weighs 2.76 pounds, so it is easy to take to classes, meetings or anywhere to stay in touch. The 11.6” display has a 1366x768 resolution. The battery promises to enable operation for up to 8.5 hours, which means nearly all day productivity.

The Acer C720-2848 features an integrated HD webcam for video chatting as well as capturing video and photos for sharing online. It connects to hotspots and wireless networks quickly via 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi. Being small, the computer still features dual speaker, USB 3.0 port as well as a USB 2.0 port. It also has an HDMI port for pushing video and content to external displays and HDTVs.

Chromebooks come with popular Google products built in including Search, Gmail, YouTube, and Hangouts, so customers are ready to work, play, and stay connected right out of the box. Acer Chromebook customers are offered up to 100GB of free Google Drive storage for the first two years after purchase. In addition, Acer C720 models come with Google Play Music All Access and 12 free Gogo Inflight passes to allow customers to stay online while on a flight.

The Acer C720-2848 is available now from Amazon.com and Best Buy for $199.99 in the United States. It will be available at the Acer Store in December. The new Acer C720-2848 comes with a standard one-year parts and labor warranty, which can be extended to three years with the Acer Advantage service.